


Living Situation

by DeadishScribe



Series: The Horatio Chronicles [2]
Category: Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, Sorry it's so late, Vampires, Vampyr, subject to edit, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 11:36:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17385758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadishScribe/pseuds/DeadishScribe
Summary: Henry has to adapt to his new 'life', but how easy will that be? Is he up to the challenge? Could he just be able to relax for once? Is that too much to ask? How will the good Lady Benton integrate into his life, if at all? Find out on this episode of...The Horatio Chronicles!25-6-19 Update: I will be keeping this work up, however, I have added it as a chapter to the other work, The Cold and the Dark. All updates will be in that work from now on. Thank you for your patience!





	Living Situation

**Author's Note:**

> Happy (belated) New Years! Sorry for the latish update, things have been wild. Health, a pseudo tooth popping out in the middle of class, a birthday, the works.

Nothing odd here. Just a woman, maybe early thirties at most, sitting at the kitchen table, dressed in black turn-of-the-century attire. Sucking on some sort of plastic bag, small, a tad round, and filled with some sort of crimson. Blood. Of course it was. Nothing odd whatsoever. She greeted the young man with a content, mostly innocent smile. It curled the bag to the shape of her lips, little ripples of blood forming here and there as the bag contracted and scrunched. Slurping may or may not have been involved.

Exhausted, Henry collapsed into his usual spot. In sight of the TV for entertainment (sometimes distraction, Uncle Glen does love to drone on and on about, well, drones), but also in reach of every possible conversation at the table. He aimed for a nice balance between the modern era and valued family time. They preferred the background noise anyhow, but for them it was more a matter of willpower to focus on dinner than the boob-tube, but the ability to zone out of awkward family discussions was a god send. So to speak. It had been a difficult night. More like a difficult few days, the ones he couldn’t process, let alone remember. He still couldn’t quite get over his own death, and rebirth, but most wouldn’t blame him for that. Many would also imagine the whole rebirth thing a lot differently. Rebirth was usually the realm of reincarnation, not total fiction. Well, he had to accept vampires as fact now, otherwise he himself didn’t exist. Maybe that would’ve been for the better at this point, but he’d cross—or burn—that bridge when he got to it.

“Would you like some?” she asked Henry. Sola was a little too cheery for how early in the morning it was. He noted her aversion to any light coming in the windows with little surprise, which concerned him since it meant this was all starting to become _normal_ to him.

His brain wracked and heaved for a response, a process entirely too complex for a yes or no answer. In the end, he settled with giving a gentle “no” with pursed lips. Henry was stiff, too stiff, yet another thing not odd in the slightest. With a stretch he found out just why she was hiding away in the morning shadows when his hand was unlucky enough to get caught in a beam of sunlight. There was a stinging sensation, followed by a deep, underlying burn that you get when you touch something that was hotter than you would expect, so hot that it feels cold. It was piercing to his core, or that’s how it felt to him. He thought of the stove, when he propped himself on an arm to reach into the cabinet, only to find that his sister had recently made herself lunch. Fortunately, Laurel had already started medical school, and was able to treat the burn, preventing infection and scarring, much to his relief. That scar’s gone now, taken away by his new condition no doubt. The current experience was all that, but far, far more agonizing, the blistering heat of a thousand suns. Henry didn’t find the muffled giggle coming from the opposite side of the table amusing. There was something about her face, however, that was still almost unreasonably sweet. He didn’t know whether to be comforted or irate, and he dropped it all together rather than deal with the mess of it.

Groggily he looked about, a hand to his eye to clear out the so-called sleep sand. It must have been ten, perhaps ten thirty, maybe even eleven. No one seemed to be awake, which was definitely unprecedented. Everyone was always one step ahead of him by the time he woke up, so prepared and cheery and not at all a grouch that was not at all made for the morning. Absolutely infuriating. He couldn’t hold the irritation within himself, and after a while, he made a point to mention their absence, asking Lady Benton where they were.

“Work and school I believe, dear” she said.

“Wait, really? What day is it?’

Sola took a moment, tapping her chin once or twice as she recalled the information “Wednesday, why-” she stopped herself before finishing the question, “-ah, yes. I experienced the same disorientation when I was a newborn. Primarily with words. My mind jumbled the letters. Bowl was lowb, fork as korf, spoon as noops, horse hroes, and so on”

Henry had to hold back laughter through lips, “Seriously?”

For the first time, Henry would’ve sworn that he saw her make a face that wasn’t at all cheerful, but instead a pout. Even then, the pout lacked any menacing message or aura, “I don’t apricate the laughter, young man, and there are people who deal with that sort of trouble on a daily basis. It would be wise to pay them some due respect, even in their absence”

“Yes, ma’am” That young man found himself straightening for some reason, almost to attention. Odd, considering he had never served, but that was a mere curiosity compared to the vast wonders of the past several days. Not like he remembered them anyhow.

“Um-” he looked around once more before sitting down, a bit at lost as to just what he was supposed to eat for breakfast now. There was a hunger brewing in his stomach, indicated by a gurgle or two, which wasn’t appreciated either. It struck him he couldn’t have his ritual morning bowl of cereal like he used to. Saturday cartoons were out of fashion, but that’s why it paid to own the classics on bluray. Was there a vampire version of cereal? Vampiri-oh’s? Henry, however, had to give in to her experience once more, “-do you have another or…?”

The good Lady Benton was more than happy to oblige, placing an identical bag across from her. Henry gingerly picked it up, almost like one of those wiggly water toys you can get at mom and pop shops. She took her bag from her lips, a few drops resting upon them before she cleaned them away with a swipe of her tongue, in order to show her progeny how she drank from the bags herself, “Like this. The IV tubing connection at the bottom, or the top in this case. Otherwise meals can become difficult to get a handle on and lead to an awful mess. Trust me, it’s rather embarrassing to be caught licking ruby off any surface, let alone a table or counter top” she stifled yet another giggle before going back to the bag in her hands. Calling it ruby struck Henry as, well, different as everything else. A little weird too on that note. He could feel that it was a casual tone, as if forgetting the blood came from a living being, a person who could very well be dead now. Perhaps she didn’t like referring to it as blood so she could feel more civil. There was a chill throughout his spine, but he did his best to ignore both it and the reality of the situation. He guessed that he had to in order to keep his sanity for the time being. When he was older it may become far less of a problem, but that was long to come.

 Picturing a proper lady such as herself licking a table top for a few drops of blood off the countertops was amusing, but he did as she instructed, using his teeth to cautiously tear the tubing. A little blood spurted out, not unlike a yogurt tube, and he did his best to lick the spillage from both the bag and his fingers. Lady Benton looked on, silently admiring him without his notice in the way a parent does when their child stumbles successfully through all the hurdles life puts in front of them. She was sure athletes would disagree with labeling stumbled hurdles as successful, but it was the thought that counted she supposed. The freshness of his experience, this stage of learning—she missed it. The whole thing was nostalgic. She had always wished to be a mother as well. In a way he _was_ her son. Not that she intended on stealing him from his family, let alone his mother. She intended to keep this all a secret, of course, her own little pleasure of an illusion she could let herself indulge in every now and then. Was this what it was like to have a child? Watching them grow and learn with a sense of pride, knowing that you guided them there? Sola was content with that for now. It was nigh impossible for a vampire to conceive a child. Parenthood was indeed possible, but she had no feasible path to it for now.

Henry ravenously slurped away as she thought on. The sensation was almost otherworldly, and he found himself growing more and more rabid in his consumption. He nearly lashed out at the tender hand upon his arm, encouraging him to slow down and collect himself, which he eventually did. The whole thing was alarming. He didn’t feel like himself, and he began to admit a truth he had been hiding away for his own sake. Now Henry was acknowledging his fear. Fear of the future, fear of what is, but most of all, fear of what he had become. All of that seemed so intertwined, so inseparable. For him, the past, present, and future were blending together with no mind to stop any time soon. He was pulled back to his senses by a gentle hand on his shoulder and a tender voice.

“Henry, dear” the voice spoke, and he looked up to see Lady Benton still there. He wasn’t sure why exactly, in the back of his brain, he thought she was gone. Not gone in the sense of having left, but as if she disappeared with a subtle magic trick. It may have been a self-preservation mechanism, needing to believe this all a dream, “slow down. There’s no need to rush. We’re civilized creatures, no?” she had a point he supposed. A vampire succumbing to their primal urges seemed a poor plan. She continued on, talking about how vampires eventually gain more control over these ‘urges’. He held back a scoff at the word, it was a pale descriptor. The whole thing would take work, however, and a little patience. A piece meal plan no less. He was younger, not only as a vampire, but as a human, and he needed to be more or less patient. Sola also touched on how she would be there to guide him. Some ekons abandon their newborns, otherwise known as the recently turned, with little to no. This wasn’t the standard, and it was commonly agreed upon that the behavior was appalling. Not everyone adhered to this obviously, but she insisted that she stay by his side for the time being. She was almost forceful in tone, which somewhat startled Henry. It didn’t seem like her, but he could easily have figured her wrong, he couldn’t be certain. Not a pleasant thing, uncertainty, tends to stoke one’s fears, also not a pleasant thing.

The rest of the morning was pretty straight forward. He felt like the new guy at his first day work that was learning the ropes. All very simple once learned, but there was always so much to take in. The do’s and don’ts, general but unspoken vampire rules (he wouldn’t have guessed they had any), what generally can and cannot kill you, even tooth-care. Fangs needed to be maintained, if for no other reason than health concerns. She was very stringent on the matter, nearly as much as all the rest, especially in technique. Short, round circles around the teeth and gums, making sure to get all the nooks and crannies. Blood was difficult enough to clean out of clothes, but it could stain teeth if one wasn’t careful. Lady Benton really was made to be a mother, a nurturer. Made to be a vampire would be more accurate considering the given circumstances. Besides, it paid to keep up appearances.

Henry wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen next. This had all shown such insanity over and over and over again. He had no clue when it would end either, a more than troubling thought. A pit, deep at the base of his stomached grew. What if it never ends? What if his unlife would be like this until he died… again? Could he die again in the first place? He had to know, he needed the truth. There was no reason to believe that she would lie to him. So far, she seemed trustworthy, honest, good on her word. It may have been more of a surface trust, face value, but it was better than nothing. Henry had no choice anyhow, as she was his best—and only—hope for survival. Nothing particularly dangerous had occurred in respect to the recent turn of events, yet he had a foreboding feeling, deep in his gut. There was something to come. He couldn’t explain what exactly, he just knew.

Now was the time. He willed his soul into an iron, determined state of will. Perhaps a bit melodramatic for the morning, but he felt entitled to a little leeway at the moment. He _would_ get answers, “Sola? I have to ask… will it always be like this?”

She simply cocked her head in response, “It?”

“Y’know, _it_ ”

Her face appeared just puzzled as her mind. It seems vampires aren’t telepathic, thank fucking… invoking God’s name at this point seemed odd. The universe put him in this position, so he figured it would do. Eventually a lightbulb lit, her face shining, “Well, the new _It_ was certainly an… interesting picture, though I personally prefer the orig-”

His hands went up almost immediately, “No, no, no. That’s not what I meant, like at all”

“Oh. **Oh**. You mean your new unlife?”

That word came off her tongue a little too naturally for his liking, but he decided to let it pass in favor of his true goal, “Yeah, our unlife or whatever. Do we live forever? Do we just live _way_ longer than normal?”

Sola took a deep breath, then sighed. Prim and proper, her hands laid together in front of her after placing the blood bag to lean against the lip of the saucer she took the liberty of using. A few seconds passed, but she had yet to answer. Instead, she was just looking him over, or more aptly his face from what he could trace of her gaze.

“I’m not entirely certain. We’re often so spread out it’s hard to get any definitive information. Well, there’s a friend of mine, a doctor, very kind. He’s spent his unlife treating not only mortals, but us vampires too. Even to this day he’s dedicated to the study of our kind, _all_ our kind, not just the Ekons. Even has a book about it all”

“Alright-” Henry said with a nod, more neutral than anything else, “-but that didn’t answer any of my questions- ** _wait what do you mean not just Ekons_** ”

“We’ll cover that on a later date. Let’s call it the more ‘advanced’ course. This is Vampirism 101, but your questions are still tricky to answer, my dude”

Well _that_ caught him off guard. ‘My dude’, seriously? My dude? Where did she even learn that? “Uh… my dude?”

She nodded herself now, but with more confusion. That seemed to be the theme of the day, “Yes… did I use it improperly? I apologize, the centuries are hard to keep up with. The jumbled accumulation of slang over the centuries in my head doesn’t help but-” he had to stop her there. That seemed to be a theme too.

“No, you used it correctly, it was just surprising I guess”

“Understandable, my dear newborn”

He was a grown man, but alright, “It’s whatever. Just keep going, yeah?”

She gave a bit of a huff, but carried on nevertheless, “Well, I’m not sure if we have what you would call a natural lifespan. We are very much unnatural creatures, and therefor don’t inherently fall beneath the realms of reason and logic.”

“But this friend of yours, I thought he was studying us? Like a scientist? Reason and logic are kinda their deal” she liked the sound of that word, _us_ , and it was especially pleasing to hear from Henry.

“That’s true, but he has brought that with him into our realm, and for the better I would say. He’s only been an Ekon as long as I, give or take, perhaps a bit younger. I’m up to date on all his published knowledge, namely his _Bestiary on the Family Morticame_. Excellent work, however he refuses to answer my letters whenever I suggest changing that dreadful name, the scoundrel! Bestiary, bah! We are more than your common animal I would hope!” a frown danced across her face, more in irritation than anger or sorrow. One could never describe Lady Sola of being impassive, of that Henry was certain.

“If this sciencey friend of yours knows so much, why no info on our lifespan?”

“It’s simple—no vampire has ever died naturally, at least in respect to recorded accounts of such an event. None whatsoever. Either they disappear or are slain. There’s no recorded case of a vampire dying in their sleep if that’s what you’re asking” That meant he wouldn’t need to worry about old age, fantastic! Well, it would be if no for a premature death of some sort. He’d prefer that to becoming a hermit in any case.

There was an odd silence that followed, neither knew what to say next. Henry had run dry of questions. Not at all an uncomfortable silence, but certainly something new, something deep he couldn’t put his finger on. More than just eye contact, they could feel one another’s gaze, like little rays of light. No, a poor analogy in undeath. Warmth. Yes, warmth fit better. Soothing almost as they studied every little feature, every crease, scar, and curve of their faces. A bridge of sorts. One of those weird hippie spirit bridges or something, Henry thought he heard it on TV once.

A ringing made its way to his ears, though something about it was odd. The ringing wasn’t audible. It was in his ears, he was sure of that much, though it felt like no other ringing he had felt. Then it hit him that it was his own heartbeat, not ringing, but pumping and pounding. The fibers of his heart each sent their own signals to the brain. Or at least that’s what it felt like, electricity bouncing around in his chest. Beating, pressing, toiling to keep him alive. That was an odd thought, let alone realization. His heart was pounding, but why? He was _dead_! Ugh, no, _undead_. He despised that technicality. Aside from the whole _I can no longer consume anything but blood, look sickly, and can’t be exposed to direct sunlight without extreme pain_ thing was rearing its head far too often. That was when the energy began subsiding, both parties returning to the status quo, as confused as it might be. His focus had waned and slipped away in his little sidetrack. He expected a gaping void left in wake of such an experience, but rather found the opposite. Glowy, ironically enough. He felt _glowy._ Henry had no idea what that meant, but there it was. Had it been the same for her? What was that? What was all of _this_? Was he going crazy? Maybe just having a bad dream? His hand slipped beneath the table, reaching to give his leg a pinch. Yep, definitely hurt, definitely painful with the new super strength. He never understood the pinching thing anyhow. If it were a dream, a dream pinch felt as real as anything else inside the dream, what good would it do? It didn’t really matter at this point. Perhaps the two resembled one other more than he had originally thought.

 


End file.
